Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity 2025 Entries, Horses, Odds, and Predictions

Breeders’ Futurity 2025

The Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity is a continuation of the 2025-26 Road to the Kentucky Derby, as this is a Win & In qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on October 31. This race and the American Pharoah at Santa Anita are both part of the initial prep races and horseplayers and fans are trying to figure out who the nation’s most promising 2-year-olds are.

We’ve got a $650,000 purse for this 1 1/16-mile trip around the Keeneland dirt track. As you would expect, data points are limited for these horses and at this distance, so we are betting into the unknown a little bit.

This one will be Race 9 in your Saturday Keeneland program with post time expected to be 5:16 p.m. ET on October 4.

Breeders’ Futurity 2025 Entries, Horses, Jockeys, and Trainers:

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Blackout Time	C. Torres	K. McPeek	10-1
2	Big Dom	I. Ortiz Jr.	T. Amoss	4-1
3	Diciassette	J. Ocasio	P. Biancone	20-1
4	Spice Runner	T. Gaffalione	S. Asmussen	12-1
5	Litmus Test	F. Prat	B. Baffert	8-1
6	Ted Noffey	J. Velazquez	T. Pletcher	4/5
7	Ewing	J. Ortiz	M. Casse	9/2

Kenny McPeek would have had his go-to rider Brian Hernandez here for Blackout Time, but he is still recovering from broken ribs and a punctured lung, so Cristian Torres gets the rail ride. This is a weekend full of Juvenile qualifiers across the country, so we may get a clearer picture of the 2-year-olds and we look ahead to another Triple Crown race in about seven months.

Spice Runner and Ted Noffey stand out in this field, but there are a lot of questions about any horse at this age.

Here are some thoughts on each horse at the odds at time of publish:

1. Blackout Time (10-1; Torres/McPeek): The son of Not This Time and Beauty Parlor has two starts on two different tracks, finishing second at six furlongs to Dazzle d’Oro back on June 29 and first over a mile at Ellis Park on August 2. He started mid-pack with the 6 post for Hernandez and nearly went wire-to-wire as the favorite, paying just $2.72 to win. He did win by 9 ¾, so it was a strong effort, even if it was expected. His first start was a strong second at nearly 10/1, overcoming a rough exit from the gate.

2. Big Dom (4-1; I. Ortiz/Amoss): A really strong bloodline is the story for Big Dom, named after the imposing presence handling security on the Philadelphia Eagles’ sideline. The son of McKinzie and Half A. P. won a maiden special weight at Saratoga back on August 23 by a neck over Dr. Kapur. That was Jose Ortiz on the ride, but now Tom Amoss switches to his brother, who rode show finisher and favorite Vino Vici in that MSW. Big Dom won despite an awkward ride, especially near the finish line, so maybe Amoss feels Irad can center the horse a bit more.

3. Diciassette (20-1; Ocasio/Biancone): Florida-bred Diciassette heads north for Patrick Biancone and the connections after going 2-for-2 at Gulfstream Park, including a win in the Proud Man Stakes on August 9. This isn’t a bad race to see what Diciassette has to offer making two turns, but the son of sprinter Mitole and Im A Dixie Diva, whose only longest career win came at seven furlongs, is probably better off at a mile or less. Mitole won the 2019 Met Mile and 2019 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

4. Spice Runner (12-1; Gaffalione/Asmussen): The winner of the Iroquois Stakes last month at Churchill Downs is looking to go from Louisville to Lexington and score another huge win. That was a G3 race and this is technically labeled as a G1, but he bested favorite Comport at a little more than 5-1 to win by a head. Given that he got off to a rough start in some early traffic, Jose Ortiz deserves a lot of credit for that run. Interestingly, Tyler Gaffalione had the ride on the favorite there and led a good chunk of the race before getting passed at the end. Now Steve Asmussen turns to Gaffalione with Ortiz on a different horse.

That race was over a mile and the longest to date for Spice Runner, who won it at the end. He might like the extra 16th a lot here.

5. Litmus Test (8-1; Prat/Baffert): The name is interesting here, as this is a litmus test for Litmus Test. The placement in this race is interesting, too, as Bob Baffert has four 2-year-old entries in California for the American Pharoah, but shipped this horse to Kentucky. California horses are usually viewed with some skepticism, especially when coming east. After finishing fourth in the Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs, the son of Nyquist and Study Hard goes up in distance and probably talent level.

6. Ted Noffey (4/5; Velazquez/Pletcher): Ted Noffey, a spoonerism of Spendthrift Farm GM Ned Toffey, ships south from Saratoga to take his run at a second straight G1 win. With Velazquez in the mount, he dominated the Hopeful Stakes, sponsored by his ownership group, over the final furlong and change. The son of Into Mischief and Streak of Luck exploded by every speed metric from his maiden win on August 2 to his stakes debut on September 1. His 104 Equibase Speed Figure and 98 Beyer stand well above the rest of the field here, but 2-year-olds are still unpredictable creatures.

7. Ewing (9/2; J. Ortiz/Casse): As great of a name as Ted Noffey is, and as much of a sucker as I am for a good spoonerism, Ewing is a great name for the son of Knicks Go. He is the youngest horse in this field, foaled on May 9, four days after Big Dom. He’s 2-for-2, including a G2 win in the Saratoga Special Stakes, but his Equibase Speed Figure dropped nine points from his maiden win to 75. The SSS only had four horses and went 6 ½ furlongs. 

Knicks Go had no issues with distance, including wins in the 2021 Pegasus World Cup and Breeders’ Cup Classic, so the move to 1 1/16 for what should be the pacesetter in this race shouldn’t be an issue.

Breeders’ Futurity Predictions

Ted Noffey probably wins this race, but the odds-on price is not ideal. The development curve for 2-year-olds is rarely linear. While Ted Noffey is the best of this field, not firing or having a distracted trip is possible, at least to the point where laying a price is a bit of a mental hurdle.

But, it’s a hurdle to get over. His Equibase Speed Figure and Beyer are quite far ahead of the rest of this field and it should be a speedy field with a good early pace. Ted Noffey’s finish in the Hopeful gives him more margin for error with the trip than anybody else. I’ll put Spice Runner right under him in hopes of bumping the price of exotics. Ewing and Big Dom battle for third.

Prediction: 6-4-7-2

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